Piano-lifting truck



F. D. LEA.

PIANO LIFTING TRUCK. APPLICATION FILED APR.2. |919.

1, 328, 634 Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

E Y Z}z venan FRANK D. LEA, OF FINDLAY, OHIO.

PIANO-LIFTING TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 20, 1920.

Application filed April 2, 1919. Serial No. 287,021.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK D. LEA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Findlay. in the county of Hancock and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Lifting Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention comprises an improved construction of piano lifting truck of the type shown in U. S. patents of Raynor No. 616,972 and No. 667,575, of which patents I am the owner' and under which patents I have manufactured piano lifting trucks.

The primary objects of my invention have been to simplify the construction of the truck as disclosed particularly by the later of the two patents above mentioned, to provide a somewhat different arrangement and structure for the lever lifting device y.aifording a construction of greater strength and one more easily manufactured than that proposed by said patent, to improve in details the means for limiting the movement of the handles and for holding said handles flat against the truck when not in use, and to correspondingly improve the pawl mechanism for locking the roller against move` ment. 4

With the foregoing and other objects in view, a full understanding of my improved device will be had on reference to the following detailed description, and to the accompanying' drawings in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of my trucks, showing the handles projecting therefrom as when susceptible of being used, and illustrating the lever bail in a position midway of its extremities of movement, as in the act of elevating the framerof the truck relatively to the roller;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the device, parts arranged with handles folded;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. l.

Fig, Ll is a sectional view showing incre clearly the connection 'between the lifting slides and frame of the truck, on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line of Fig. 2.

In view of the disclosure in the patents previously identified, it is unnecessary to indicate herein with much detail the inode of use of my lifting truck. It suffices to state that two trucks comprising a set are ll0, and casters 4 of the truck.

usually employed for liacilitating the nuoving of the piano to be transported. The trucks are suitably attached to opposite ends of the piano by straps or any suitable means, the frame of each truck being equipped with supporting feet or arms to be engaged be*- neath the piano, after which the lifting device of each truck may be operated to elevate the frame and cause the weight of the piano to be received upon the roller forming a part of said lifting device. Then the piano is supported by the rollers of the respective trucks it is obviously easy to move. Again, when desired the piano may be turned upon end with one of the trucks therebeneath and readily moved by reason of the provision of casters at the end of the truck opposite that equipped with the roller of the lifting device.

With the foregoing general provisions in mind, I will proceed to describe a single one of my trucks. The truck comprises a frame -composed of end bars l equipped with 'pads 2, and side bars 3. On the side of the upper end bar l opposite the pad thereof, said end bar is provided with a pail: of substantial casters 4. Crossed rods 5 connect the side bars intermediate their ends and one of these rods 5 has slidable thereon a clip 6 adapted to engage one of a pair of bracerods 7 by which the two handles 8 are connected together, said handles'being pivotally connected with a cross rod 9 suit-ably attached to the side bars 3 of the frame. When the clip 6 engages the brace rod 7 with which it may coperate, the handles 8 are held iiat against the frame of the truck, the disposition which they take when not being used, as when a piano is turned on end and supported by the roller To limit the movement of the handles 8. in an upward direction I use the stop and guide rods il. the same being pivoted at .l2 to brackets i3 attached to the side bars 3. .at their free or outer ends the rods ll are enlarged to provide stop extremities lla.

The lifting device used by lne for my truck is somewhat like that shown in Patent No. 667,575 above mentioned, save that I have provided a more rigid and economically made construction and one which has a selflocking action as will now be pointed out.

Pivoted to the brackets 13 at the outermost portions thereof is a lever bail 14 of CII connection of the lever 14, with the brackets 13, are located at the extremities of the sides of the lever. A short distance from said pivotal points the sides of the lever 14 are pivotally connected by links 15 with lifting slides 16 mounted on the side bars 3 of the truck frame. I have providedl a. specifically new means for connecting the slides 16 with the side bars 3, a means which is especially advantageous from a viewpoint of assen'iblage of the iarts. Secured to each slide 16 is a U-shaped guide bracket and the two brackets 1T are connected by a cross plate 1S7 the fastening between the parts being designated 19. The space between the sides of each bracket 1T opens outwardly, so to speak and the rear side of the lower end bar 1 is recessed or cut away at two points adjacent to the bars 3, as shown at 20, to permit relative movement of the brackets 17 and the side bars 3 incident to the raising of the truck frame by the lifting slides 16, when the lever or bail 14 is pulled outward and downward. The relation ofthe pivotal connections between the parts 13, 14, and 15 is such that when the lever or bail 14 is pulled outward from the frame of the truck and forced downward until practically engaged with the lower portions of the side bars 3, said lever is locked against outward movement by the weight supported by the truck. This is due to the shifting of the pivotal connections between the lever 14 and links 15 nearer to the bars 3 than are the pivotal connections between lever 14 and the brackets 13.

In` order that the lever 14 may be held against accidental displacement when in its uppermost position, a spring` catch 21 is secured to the upper end bar 1 and arranged to engage the cross bar of the lever 14 as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be understood thatl the lifting feet 22 of the truck frame are turned laterally from the lower ends of the bars 3 as proposed in Patent No. 667,575. The pawl mechanism at present used by me to lock the roller 10 from turning, comprises the pawl 23 actuated by the spring plate 24 so that it has a normal tendency to engage notches 25 oftheroller 10. I provide a release lever 26 for the pawl. pivoted to the cross plate 1 8. at2, said release lever having a projection 28 near its free end to engage in a recess 29 in the adjacent slide 16 whereby to interlock the lever 26 in a position in which it engages the pawl '23 and maintains the latter inoperative.

A keeper 30 at the outer side of the free endof the lever 26 is attached to the cross plateV 18' and limits the movement of said lever. The upper edge of the release lever 26 at the point where it is adapted to engage between the plate 18 and pawl 23 is beveled to facilitate wedging of the lever ramasse between the` said parts for disengaging the pawl. The said bevel also tends to cause a slight lateral movement of the lever 26 to effect'interlocking of the projection 28 m the recess 29.

It will be noted from the foregoing that I have devised a construction for my truck wherein I may employ almost exclusively round metal such. as rods or fiat strap metal, also malleable or steel castings, in the economical construction of my device. Practically the only castings employed by me are the lifting slides 16 which have journals for the roller 10. I might note also that the stop and guide rods 11 pass through eyes 31 forming the ends of a cross rod 32 carried by the handles at the upper sides of the latter. The specific method of use of my truck will be self evident to those versed in the art from the foregoing disclosure of the detail features. Ifmight note, however, that the rod 32 has a rotative connection with the handles 8 being journaled after a manner between the outer sides of the handles and strap plates by which the handles are mounted on the pivoted cross rod 9. Thus it is that owing to the manner in which the stop and guide rods 11 pass through or interlock with the eyes 31v of the rod 32, said rod is adapted to turn approximately a quarter revolution incident to the movement of the handles through'an arc of approximately 90 representingthe extent of movement of said handles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. In a lifting truck of the class described, the combination with a frame comprising side and end bars, of lifting means for said frame consisting of-[lifting slides mounted on the side bars of the frame, a roller supported vby the lower ends of said lifting slides and instrumentalities for effecting a relative movement of the lifting` slides and the frame including a lever bail having the sides thereof pivoted at their inner extremities to the-side bars ofthe frame, links pivotally connected with the sides of the lever bail intermediate the vendsy of said bail, connections between the links and the lifting slides, means for positively connecting the lifting slides with l theV sidebars comprising a cross plate attached to said lifting slides, and connecting` and guiding brackets also secured to said lifting slides Iand engaging lwith the side bars of thetruck frame k'for sliding f action relatively thereto, the lower end bar of the truck frame being cut away at one side to form clearance recessespermitting the relative movement ofl thefguide j brackets and side bars aforesaid. i

2. In a lifting truck ofthe class described,

the combination with a truck frame, of a 'lifting device' carried thereby and compris- 'ing a roller adapted to support said frame,

together with means for effecting' relative movement of the frame and roller, lifting feet carried by the frame to engage with a piano or the like, handles pivotally connected with the frame at one side thereof, brace rods connecting the side bars of the frame, a rod connecting the handles togetlier, and a clip mounted on one of the brace rods aforesaid and engageable with the handle connecting rod for holding the handles against movement under certain conditions of use of the truck.

8. In a lifting truck of the class described, the combination with a truck frame, of a lifting device mounted thereon and compris ing a roller adapted to support said frame, together with means for effecting relative bodily movement of the frame upward respecting said roller, the frame being equipped with suitable lifting feet, and lock means for preventing turning of the roller consisting of a pawl, a cross plate secured to the lower portion of said frame and supporting said pawl, spring means tending to Cause engagement of the pawl with the roller, a release lever pivoted to said cross plate and having an upper beveled edge portion to wedge between the pawl and cross plate as the lever is moved to effect disengagement of the pawl from the roller, and interlockingmeans between the release lever and an adjacent portion of the lifting device for holding the release lever in a position maintaining the pawl disengaged from said roller.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK D. LEA. 

